Fall Voter Registration

In preparation for the November local elections, the College Democrats are holding a voter registration rally Tuesday and Wednesday in the University Center. Regardless of party preference, all students are invited to stop by and register to be eligible to vote in the fall elections as well as all other elections. As strange as it sounds, we have the next presidential primary in around two-and-a-half years.

On the ballot in Dearborn this year is the mayoral race, with incumbent Jack B. O’Reilly Jr. facing off against city council member Thomas Patrick Tafelski. In the last mayoral election in 2013 the total number of votes cast was 17,160, meaning over 83% of the population did not vote at the time.

Local elections may not be as entertaining as national ones, especially when compared to the circus that was the 2016 presidential campaign that is so fresh in our memory, but they have massive impact on the lives of residents. The people we elect in local elections control staffing and funding for essential services such as police, firefighters, and trash collection. The people in office are the ones who can bring us new services such as the dog park that opened up over the summer; they can also take them away such as when the number of outdoor pools went down in the past.

No matter your city of residence or political beliefs stop by the University Center Tuesday or Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to register to vote. When Barack Obama won his last election some sources state that 70% of senior citizens voted, while only 40% of those 18-29 went to the polls. If you think your vote doesn’t matter, in local elections with smaller populations they can make a huge impact on your community and in your own life.